Jack Morris's Lost Book of Infamy
So ye have decided to live in''' Infamy', aye? Ye be warned, this life is not for the faint of heart. If ye insist, we shall teach ye the ways of infamy. Well, this is yer lucky day - ye found the Morris's Lost Book of Infamy, never been opened before! (Well, that last bit has be argued) Between its yellowed pages ye shall find numerous tips and tactics on the art of PvP - well aye, ‘'tis''' an art for some! So sharpen yer steel, ready yer powder and tense yer nerves - we shall talk INFAMY 'now! '''What's in PvP? ' Like the old saying goes, "Suits don't matter in Blackjack," so does it work for PvP! Now, in real-life your garbs could really mean a lot in a duel - not so in Pirates Online, where wearing a skirt won't matter much in the outcome. Other things, however, do matter: like in every battle, you've got yer tactics, resources and goals! Let's take a peek at some of 'em... 'Infamy ' When ye defeat someone, ye gets Infamy. This gives yer pirate a rank, which can be used to show off your epic awesomeness. Or ye can be "Naught but humble pirates." Or ye can use Infamy because ye have yer eye on a bonny lass and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet. (Note to self: Use language these landlubbers get. Oi! Get off me notes, landlubber!) It can also be used to get Infamy Rewards - say, as in special coats, tattoos and hats. 'Strategy ' There's an abyss of a difference between noob tactics and real strategy. This can help ye defeat higher-level pirates - which in turn gives ye more infamy! We will later on talk about the difference between a planned ambush and running around with a voodoo doll. 'Weapons belt ' The weapons ye use in battle are crucial - they determine yer strategy, which in turn determines the infamy ye can get! See how it's all kinda connected? There be three words ye must keep in mind, just for now: SWORD - AND - GUN. 'Let's Get Started! ' So, ye got this book - fortunately for ye - and ye got the spirit. Let's Get Started! 'Prior to battle... ' '''Choose yer enemy! If ye are a Level 8 pirate, there be some teeny difference between facing a Level 7 pirate and a Level 35 pirate: *Facing a Level (Lvl) 7 pirate is tantamount to coward-ish-ness *Facing a Lvl 35 pirate is tantamount to suicide. Of course, it is hard to decide who ye shall face (as the game does it by hisself) but it's always best not to invite higher levels than ye. If I were Lvl 8, I'd choose the Lvl 7 - right away. After all, us pirates ain't been known for our bravery, are we? Then again, if yer an Infamy Hunter, ye might face ridiculously high-level players. Choose yer weapon! Noting that there's around 5,000 weapons at large in Pirates Online, the decision seems somewhat overwhelming. Do not despair! This is Morris's Lost Book of Infamy, remember! Yer weapons be a crucial 'ally. Based on personal opinion, experience and taste, ye should get yer hands on these: *'A cutlass: '''Most obviously, a pirate's favourite weapon. Available to all players, this weapon is good for straightforward attacks. '''MUST HAVE. *'A broadsword: '''Trickier to acquire and to handle, a broadsword has the ginormous advantage of hitting several enemies at once. Sadly, Basic Members are left without broadswords. It's cruel, but this weapon is almost imperative to have. '''SHOULD HAVE'. *'A flintlock: '''A flintlock pistol and a cutlass are like a cheeseburger and fries, the ''perfect couple. Luckily available to all players, pistols offer a medium long-ranged attack. A repeater, sub-theme of the pistols, is also very useful due to its multiple-shot feature (up to 3 shots before reloading!). MUST HAVE. *'Anything else: '''The fourth slot is yours to fill, mate. I won't say what to put, but I can tell ye what '''not '''to put: a '''rapier' or a grenade. Rapiers deal dwarf-ish damage, don't parry half as much as cutlasses or broadswords, and generally are there just for the sake of fanciness. A grenade, on the other hand, is a terribly destructive weapon - which, if combined with its poor aiming ability, turns it into a distant cousin of a suicide pill. Do what you will, but I don't think ye will get good Infamy fighting with rapiers and grenades. Know yer terrain! Quoting Eliza Creststeel, who in turn quotes Sun Tzu: "Know when and where to fight." YOU 'determine where to fight. It's not the same playing in the Molten Caverns or the Pillager's Pass. The Molten Caverns is a better place for a straightforward confrontation, while Pillager's Pass will favor those who favor the noble principles of the con art, or Ninjutsu if ye will (but his is not Ninjas Online, so we shan't talk about it), savvy? If ye are a low level, or ye are all by yer onesies, and facing a numerous crew of pirates, it's better to try and ''ambush them, savvy. Technically speaking, it's called guerrilla warfare; more simply known as a hit and run attack. While in Pillager's Pass, force yer enemies to pass through a narrow place, and shower 'em with yer grenades (incendiary grenades will be a prick to them) or with blunderbuss. A note on blunderbuss: if ye want to ambush people with blunderbusses, think again. These babes make terrific damage up close, truth be told; yet they take a ridiculous long time to recharge, and if ye don't have anyone to cover ye while ye reload it... bad business. Besides, no matter what, ye will be quickly turned into Swiss cheese. '''Know yer style There are different types of players in PvP. Well, truth be told, they're all basically the same - but some employ different tactics. Ye can use them, too! Here be a few: *'Infamy Seeker: '''A player who will fight ''anyone anytime to gain Infamy. Pretty common among arcadeaholics and over-achievers. Tips for facing 'em: If one invites ye to a match, and is much higher level than ye, he/she'll probably use ye for a punching bag. Tips for being one: ALWAYS try to defeat people thyself - Infamy Seekers are lone gunslingers. *N00b: A new or low-level player who will show off and employ sloppy tactics. They have been known to fight people cajillions of levels over them, just because. Tips for facing 'em: Noobs make excellent practice targets, though they can be very challenging and irritating foes. Tips for being one: Act like you're the main character - be the Hero, use the scrappiest weapons in the game, get in trouble with bigger people, then get offended when they lose. The Unspoken Rules of PvP After long years of fighting one another, pirates have come to create a set of unspoken rules for PvP. And since they're Unspoken but not Unwritten, I shall list them below: *'Voodoo dolls are for n00bs: '''Considered noobish and decadent, voodoo dolls are mostly favoured by low-level pirates with 3 Health points left. The usual Voodoo noob will run up to his enemy, attune him with the doll, then run in circles while he drains his enemy's health. Beware, if ye use this repeatedly, ye shall gain a '''bad' fame. *'Grenades are mildly useless': Unless ye are attacking a close-packed group - not probable - these things won't do much for ye. *'Blunderbusses are very useless: '''Although they inflict some nice damage up-close, blunderbusses take an eternity to load, and have very, very short range, so nobody truly uses them. ﻿ *'Why fight when ye can run?: It is a stupid - though not unheard of - situation when a low-level player (especially a Basic Member) and a very high-level player (mostly an Unlimited Member) face-off in PvP, for obscure reasons. If ye have seen any of these, what follows is pretty obvious: if the low-level is not very versed in the ways of the Infamy Seeker, he/she will make use of a sabre - excruciatingly useless - because he/she has adopted the concept that all Basic Member cutlasses are very, VERY crude. On the other hand, the combat-wise high-level pirate will make use of a broadsword, and will therefore ﻿waste his/her opponent. Wiser low-levels should stay out of a close-quarter fight, and set up all manner of traps, masquerades and hocus-pocus for his/her enemy; although these will - very probably - simply weaken the higher-level, ye will eventually earn a reputation for being a sassy pirate. '''What about SvS? Privateering, or SvS, is widely known around the Caribbean. As I go through the ways of SvS, ye will really want to get back out on the seas and test out yer skills, and I can let ye do that. But remember to go through what I've said so that ye don't fail. Here we go.. Which Team Do I Join? ' Well, there's a way to find out. Hold down the ~ button on the top-left corner of yer keyboard and ye will see a leaderboard of the ships on each team. If there is one team that has the most amount of bounty and points, I recommend choosing that. Don't choose a side just because it has the most players. '''Plan It Out ' Ye must be prepared for every fight. One of the most efficient (and fun) ways to dominate the other side is to form a fleet. 'Tactics ' There are many different tactics for SvS, just like in PvP. '''Hit and Run Best with Sloops, either Light or War, this tactic involves speeding into the middle of the fray, blasting fire and brimstone at ships in all directions until the ship's armor is gone, along with a good chunk of hull points, then running "like the devil himself is upon them"(PotC II). This requires a sailing chart with a higher rank Navigation, in addition to Full Sail and maybe Ramming Speed. Ye will want to max or have Rank 4 Windcatcher for this method of SvS. Be prepared to use Come About and turn suddenly straight into any enemy that is chasing ye. Sometimes referred to as a 'Crazy Ivan', this will startle the enemy enough for ye to get a decent head start, while minimizing the damage that would be taken if ye were to do a slow turn as well as allowing for ye to blast them with a broadside. RECCOMENDED HULL BUILD: STREAMLINED. RECCOMENDED TYPE VI HULL: STORMCHASER. RECCOMENDED RIGGING: SPEED. Slow and Deadly ''' Best with a War Frigate, this theory of SvS a slow powerful ship with numerous gunners and a lot of health/armor. With max Take Cover and a strong Open Fire, and Rank 5 Broadsides, gunners could even be optional, though Taskmaster is a requirement. '''RECCOMENDED HULL BUILD: REINFORCED. RECCOMENDED TYPE VI HULL: COPPERHEAD RECCOMENDED RIGGING: OFFENSIVE. Light Sloop of Death ' This is where two or three people get on a light sloop, one driving, typically with the Hit and Run tactic, and one or two Fury gunners. This deadly group is a severe pain in the butt for the enemy, and ships using this tactic can get bounties well into the tens of thousands. '''Spies ' As always, subterfuge is going to occur in any form of long-term battle. Spies in SvS can't be bribed or convinced to change sides, so the only way to deal with these potential problems is to kick them from yer crew and yer boat, then use Privateer chat to alert thy allies of the infiltrator’s name. Spying on the enemy is most effective if ye have the tattoos of the suckers ye plan to spy on. Joining a crew on the team yer fighting also helps to convince them. Whisper to a friend on yer real team, who will relay the information to the rest of yer REAL team. If ye plan to launch a ship for the opposite team to just listen to the chat, a light galleon is best since they’re expected to be cannon fodder. So, just drive around pointlessly and be prepared to sink alot. 'Tail Ships ' If there is a high priority enemy ship (a bounty of 1000 gold and up) ye may get a crewmate or a friend to follow that ship on a non-SvS ship. Since they can't be damaged or sunk by SvS ships, they can follow a ship closely when it tries to hide and repair. The ship can tell ye where the target ship is, and ye can follow it anywhere. '''Making a Fleet If your team is getting their butts handed to them on a silver platter, it is usually best to form a fleet. First, go into the Privateer chat and tell them, "Let's make a fleet." Then, look on the leaderboard again, find the ship on yer team that is in the lead, and tell yer team that the leading ship will be the 'Ship of the Line', and the rest of the other ships will be escort ships. And why just have only one fleet? Ye could ask your team if they want to have another fleet, also known as a Double Fleet! Sounds fun, huh? Well there are some ways to keep the fleet going. Tips ''' · A good fleet must always attack anybody who messes with yer ship, no matter how strong they are. *If yer ship's state is on yellow, speak in Privateer chat and tell them that yer in trouble. *If ye are still losing, tell your team to split up, but do not get too far away from each other. *Make your fleet big! If yer fleet has at least five ships, then ye have a fighting chance. *If ye are in trouble, and there are a couple ships on yer team, run back to yer team, and lure most of the enemy's ships on yer arse. Then yer buddies will see yer in trouble and come help ye out. *Never travel alone. Every ship on yer fleet must have a couple mates manning the cannons. Go to the boarding rights and put a check on all of the boxes so any bloke with skills can join in victory. After a few minutes, ye will have a big crew. *If ye still don't have a big crew onboard, call upon yer crewmates or guildmates and ask them for some help. Make sure ye put a check on the crew and guild boxes so that they will be able to join. '''General Skills To Have 'Cannon ' Cannoneers in SvS should have Fury and, either of the following: Thunderbolt/Explosive. Thunderbolts are good for ranged sinkings during seek and destroy/hunt missions. A good gunner should max Rapid Reload, Barrage, Fury, and Shoot. Shoot lets ye fire each shot sooner after the first. Ye will understand it better once ye retrain and max Shoot. Sailing Items to have: *Revenant Cannon Ram *Haunted Cannon Ram *Master Gunner's Cannon Ram *Iron Priming Ram (for explosive) *Phantom Cannon Ram (thunderbolt version of the Revenant Cannon Ram) 'Sailing ' There are two main theories for sailing: the big slow lumbering battlewagon, or the lightly armed fast agile "interceptor" (for details see Tactics section). The battlewagons are typically War Frigates and Galleons, with high rank take cover and open fire, with a variety of ramming speed broadsides, and taskmaster. Occasionally, there will be an exception to the rule with a light frigate that gets a massive bounty and score (I have seen this once before, it creamed all the ships that came at it, no matter what tactics thy tried). The "Interceptors" are War Sloops are Light Sloops. These ships MUST have Fury gunners to survive. With maxed Full Sail and (possibly) maxed Ramming Speed, they are very hard to catch. Sailing Items to have: *Rumrunner's Sea Chart or Smuggler's Sea Chart *Treasure Hunter's Sea Chart (Feel free to add on, but dare not subtract.) Sailing Items for SvS should have Navigation and some boost that plays to your strengths, those items would be excellent at hunting down Sloops who made a break for it. Here are a few that would be good for the Battle Wagon Captains: *Seven Seas Sea Globe (Same rules apply as above.) 'Types of Ships ' There are many different tactics in SvS. They go from the War Frigates, to the War Sloops, to the much-hated Light Sloops. 'Frigates ' War Frigates are normally well armed with a decent number of broadsides, Fury gunners are still essential and Frigates have the most room for them. The main advantage, other than it takes 20-25 seconds to sink one with a light sloop, not counting take cover, is their massive Ramming Speed damage, perfect for sinking light sloops that have taken minor damage. Light Frigates are sometimes used, and can build up massive bounties. Don't ignore these seemingly harmless ships. 'Galleons ' Less popular, they are a far bigger target and have fewer gunner spaces. Their only advantage is their numerous broadsides. Light Galleons are often used by lower levels or by limited membership pirates. War Galleons are sometimes used by the unlimited. 'Sloops ' War Sloops are very common in SvS, the best of these ships are armed with four or more Fury gunners, and sometimes an army of repairmen. These ships often run to repair when their armor is gone, and must be hunted to be finished off. Light Sloops are the most hated ships in SvS, because of their small size and well stocked Fury gunners. They are severely damaged by ramming speed, mainly because of low health. It takes a mere 6 Fury to sink these tiny vessels, without take cover, but it is nigh impossible to hit these ship sinkers. 'Infamy ' Infamy tips from an Admiral: #Join the team with the least War Frigates and War Galleons. These ships have the highest infamy reward, and can help to ye level quickly. #Only put one round in each ship. This is a tactic to increase the number of ships you hit, and the amount of infamy ye receive. #FORGET YER TEAM LOYALTIES, at least until ye are Infamous, this will help ye get the most infamy. #Use yer Frigate or Galleon, out of courtesy. That way we can blast ye out of the water easier! #Fight with yer best hull - avoid taking damage on the hull that is weaker (typically engulfed in flames) Well, that is that. I hope ye get to choose which ship ye want and master your Infamy reputation. Category:Guides